RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A biome is an environment home to different types of vegetation and fauna. In Brazil, there are six: Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Pampa, and Pantanal.
AMAZON
The Amazon is the largest biome in Brazil and occupies about 49% of the country’s territory. It is home to more than 2,500 species of trees and 30,000 species of plants. Its hydrographic basin is the largest in the world, covering approximately 6 million square kilometers with 1,100 tributaries.
20% of the world’s water availability is in the Amazon. The region’s main river is the Amazon, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean, releasing approximately 175 million liters of water per second into the sea.
As the forest lives from its own organic material, its balance is delicate and extremely sensitive to any interference. Thus, the damage caused by man in this biome is often irreversible.
CAATINGA
The caatinga occupies the equivalent of 11% of the Brazilian territory. It covers 70% of the Northeast Region and encompasses the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Piauí, Sergipe, and the north of Minas Gerais. Of the original biome area, approximately 36% has already been altered by man.
The region is home to 27 million people. Rich in biodiversity, it is home to 178 mammal, 591 bird, 177 reptile, 79 amphibian, 241 fish, and 221 bee species.
Although it is located in an area with a semi-arid climate, the biome presents a great variety of landscapes, relative biological wealth, and species that only occur in its territory.
CERRADO
The Cerrado occurs mainly in the Brazilian Central Plateau and occupies about 22% of the national territory. This biome holds 5% of the Planet’s biodiversity and is recognized as the richest savanna in the world.
The region has 11,627 native plant species, 199 mammal species, and 837 bird species. It is also home to 1,200 species of fish, 180 species of reptiles, and 150 species of amphibians.
Until the 1950s, the Cerrado was almost unchanged, but with the transfer of the federal capital to Brasília in the 1960s, the natural vegetation cover was gradually substituted by cattle raising and intensive agriculture.
ATLANTIC FOREST
The Atlantic Forest biome occupies approximately 15% of the national territory. It is located in the coastal region, which is occupied by more than 50% of the Brazilian population, which is why only 27% of its original forest cover has been preserved.
It is one of the richest regions in the world in biodiversity and is estimated to harbor about 20,000 plant species, 850 bird species, 370 amphibian species, 200 reptile species, 270 mammal species, and 350 fish species.
It comprises native forest formations (Dense Ombrophylous Forest; Mixed Ombrophylous Forest – Araucaria Forest; Open Ombrophylous Forest; semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest and Deciduous Seasonal Forest) and associated ecosystems (mangroves, restingas, altitude fields, inland marshes and forest enclaves in the Northeast).
PAMPA
This biome occupies about 2% of the Brazilian territory and is restricted to the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Human activity has uniformed the vegetation cover, which is currently used as natural pastureland or occupied with agricultural activities such as rice cultivation. Most of the Guarani aquifer is located there.
The biome has around 3,000 species of plants, almost 500 species of birds, and more than 100 species of land mammals, including the red deer.
PANTANAL
This biome is considered one of the largest continuous wetlands on the planet and occupies 1.76% of the total area of Brazilian territory. Despite human action, it maintains around 83% of its native vegetation cover.
It is home to 263 species of fish, 41 species of amphibians, 113 species of reptiles, 463 species of birds, and 132 species of mammals. Almost 2,000 plant species have already been identified in the Pantanal and classified according to their potential – such as medicinal.
The conservation of the biomes’ vegetation is essential for their existence and for the continuity of the habitats of the species that live in them, and for the maintenance of the environmental services they provide – such as carbon sequestration – and of the goods essential for human survival – such as water and oxygen.
For life to continue to exist in the biomes, public environmental policies are needed, and the identification of conservation opportunities and the sustainable use of biodiversity benefits.
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